Stop Calling Yourself a Freelancer | #53

A lot of clients perceive freelancers as cheap, replaceable, and low-quality.

Embrace what you actually are. You are a creative business. You are a business owner.

A lot of you reading this might call yourself a photographer or videographer. And that is the bulk of the service that you deliver.

I’m a product photographer. I do videos here and there. But I don’t call myself a photographer. I am a creative business owner.

Now in your head, this may sound like a small distinction. You might think it doesn’t impact your business or your clients or your rates.

What you call yourself has a direct impact on how much you can charge and how clients perceive you.

When clients hear the word freelancer, they immediately form a perception of you.

When they hear freelance photographer, they think of someone that sets up some lights, pushes a button on their camera, loads the photos into their computer, and sends them to the client.

That is what a freelance photographer sounds like. They wear 1 hat. And the client wants to pay them for that 1 skill set.

The reality of a freelance photographer is much, much different. You are a freelance creative director. A freelance marketer. A freelance editor. A freelance stylist. You get the point.

The problem with calling yourself a freelance photographer is that the client doesn’t know all that goes into the shoot. They assign a price tag in their head for that 1 skill they think you have.

Call yourself a creative business. Call yourself a photo production company. Call yourself an agency.

Words matter. A freelancer is cheap. An agency is expensive.

A freelancer might need their hand held during the process. An agency takes care of everything.

By calling yourself a creative business, you automatically come off as more expensive, and you will attract higher-tier clients.